


A Farmer's Tale (Additional Information)

by alltheuntold



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Companion Piece, Inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire, Maesters, Worldbuilding, info dump, information
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-04-27 13:42:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14426619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltheuntold/pseuds/alltheuntold
Summary: Additional information for my story A Farmer's Tale. This is mostly just information that relates to the world of ASOIAF, and not the story itself. It is not necessary for readers of my other story in order for them to enjoy the original story.





	1. Chapter 1

**Additional information**

This section is purely additional information that won’t really be included in the story. It is not necessary to read, but you may enjoy it. These are things that I may not include in the story, just to avoid having an info dump, but others may just be things to make it easier to understand what is going on.

**Winter crops**

On Earth, there are crops that are planted before winter, and are left to germinate throughout winter. They then grow in spring and are harvested in the summer. On Planetos, these crops have adapted to survive. For instance, in Act One: Chapter Three, Michael plants barley and turnips and garlic for the winter. While these plants on Earth are capable of germinating in winter, they don’t grow. In contrast, on Planetos, they do grow if certain conditions are met.

They can’t be buried under snow once they have begun to sprout for very long, or they stop growing. They do not have as good of yields as the summer varieties, and typically require more space. Specifically, the barley cannot be planted close together. Instead the seeds are more spread out and there is room between them. Typically, they also have wide rows between them (for reference, a bit wider than crops like potatoes) so that snow can be cleared easier. The space between each plant in a row has quite a bit of space, but not enough to walk without brushing up against them, but more than they would usually require. The barley also has a much shorter stalk, and less grain per stalk. The barley is also unique, in that it will grow throughout winter, but will not fully mature until it receives a signal. By fully mature, I mean that the stalk will grow to its maximum length, and then once the signal is received it begins to grow the grain. This signal is a biological signal that sweeps down from the North on the air (like a pollen). This signal indicates that spring is coming. Some animals and plants can receive this signal and understand what it means.

Farmers can use this signal as a timeframe and will then plant other crops (like turnips or garlic). These plants are much more resistant to the cold and aren’t killed by frost. This allows a farmer to technically grow food over a winter, but he won’t be able to eat it until spring. This alleviates some hunger near the end of winter and into spring but does not help during the height of winter. However, some breeds of grass and fodder plants do grow in the winter, however very slowly. They must be unburied and have some sunlight to grow, but they will not be killed if buried.


	2. Farming Style

Westerosi Farming Styles

Written by Maester Ulic

Farms come in many different shapes and sizes and vary greatly between locations. This paper will help detail and break down the common methods of farming in Westeros, as well as the social and economic reasons for their existence. Please note, fishing, for the purposes of this treatise, is not considered farming since most fishermen can instead be considered hunters. This author acknowledges that there is indeed those fishermen that cultivate and ‘farm’ certain types of fish and other sea creatures for a variety of purposes, but is too small in relation to other types of conventional farming to be considered in this treatise.

The most common in Westeros was strip farming, where smallfolk would live in small villages and would farm strips of land that were owned by the local lord or landed knight. These strips were typically small, and a smallfolk family may be able to farm multiple strips. The smallfolk in these villages were typically poor but did tend to have more coin available to them than other types of non-specialty farms. These smallfolk would not own any large livestock like ox or horses, but they would own smaller livestock like chickens. However, a village may come together to purchase a communal ox so that they could afford it. This type of farming was prevalent in the Reach, Riverlands, parts of the Vale, and the Crownlands. The farms in these areas also used the three-field crop rotation, where one field would contain a main summer crop (like wheat, barley, rye), and short crop (things like carrots and other foods with short growing season), and a fallow field. These would be constantly rotated and would help provide a continuous food supply. This style of farming arose from the need of protection that lords, and landed knights provide from threats, as well as the need to maximize food production on arable land.

A subset of this style of farming can also be found in the North, where smallfolk live in villages and farm strips of land. However, where the North is unique due to their winters, is many smallfolk will abandon their villages in the winter and move to special winter towns near the lord’s castles. This has arisen from the need of food security. The lord’s castles typically contain two types of vaults, one is there tax vault where they store the food collected as a tax and the other is the peoples vault. This vault is where the community’s food is stored for the winter. The Lord ensures that this vault is secure from a variety of problems, like theft, nature (rain, fire, etc), and various infighting between lords. With such harsh winters, smallfolk found that staying in their own villages was a huge risk since a lord attacking another may steal the grain from a passing village. This need of protection from lords has been reduced since the time that the Starks became the uncontested Kings of the North, but the tradition remains though it does continue to benefit in a variety of social aspects (which will not be discussed in this treatise).

The second type of farming was the livestock farming, which was prevalent in the Stormlands (especially the coastal regions) and the Iron Islands. This type of farming lent to mostly grazing lands for animals like sheep and was generally less profitable then the strip farming. People lived in villages, and allowed their animals to graze over the countryside, with the shepherds following their herds. The villages allowed for winter quarters, as well as places to raise families and the use of other services. This type of farming was done on poor land, though there were crops still grown around the villages, but this was typically small scale and done to help subsidize a family’s earnings.

The third type is specialty food farming, which is primarily in Dorne and the Reach. This type of farming is considered for products like wine, fruits and products like honey. This type of farming is the most profitable, and the farmers tend to be the wealthiest compared to other farming methods. This type of farming is mostly due to the environment in which they are located, which can support the type of products (like oranges). Other products, like honey, that can be grown anywhere in the Westeros tend to be profitable, but they need to be supported by non-specialty farms that can produce extra crops to feed these farmers. So, they tend to be produced in wealthy regions, which also tend to be located near other specialty farms. Small-scale specialty farming can certainly be done anywhere though and typically is.

The fourth type was communal farming/mountain farming, found mainly in the Westerlands and the Vale. This type of farming is widely criticized and considered by many to not be its own form of farming and should be included in strip farming. This author feels that it is indeed its own type for a variety of reasons. This type of farming relies heavily on villages and communities helping each other due to isolation. This isolation has also led to widely varying farming methods, since some employ a three-field rotation similar to strip farming and others use a two-field method (one fallow and one with crops). Due to the geography of the land, arable land can be found in certain valleys or isolated and hard to reach locations. While politics can mean a lord or landed knight might claim a certain region as their own, there actual influence is limited to only tax collections and might not even be able to reach these farming locations easily. This has lead to very communal minded farmers, who see their communities as their highest priorities rather than their liege lords. This is very clear to see for the observant and has led to significant differences from their strip farming cousins. This is further reinforced, since these types of farms tend to be poorer than strip farming and livestock farming. These farms are typically surrounded by much more profitable ventures which reinforces this culture. In the Westerlands, mining makes up most of the economy and so little attention is paid to these communal farmers in isolated locations. In the Vale, these farms are surrounded by their more profitable strip farming cousins. By necessity these communal farms tend to be more self-sufficient and will have more communal animals with most services required by the community being performed by the community.

The fifth type is the individual farming, which tends to be the poorest of all. This type of farming is isolated and typically has poor land. This type of farming includes both livestock and crop farming, typically a mixture of both (though the mixture is highly dependent on location and varies widely between each farmer). The community (nearby farmers, hunters & trappers, and fishermen) tend to help each other by having a degree of specialization (again dependent on location and varies widely). Some might raise sheep and crops, other geese and crops. They can then trade wool for feathers and obtain what they need through barter. These farmers typically have little to no coin and exist solely through bartering (taxes are never paid in coin). Like communal farming/mountain farming, their farming methods vary widely between the two and three-field rotation methods. They will also tend to have no ox or horses since they have no true community to share in its purchase or any safety to provide it. This style of farmer mainly exists in the North, some parts of the Vale, and a few parts of the Crownlands (mostly Crackclaw Point). These farmers tend to have their own food storage and rely on themselves for protection from theft and natural disasters. As a defense against attacks and raids, they are spread out and to dissuade attackers from focusing on them. It varies region to region and lord to lord, but these farmers will typically have lower taxes. There tends to be debate about whether Crackclaw Point can be considered to be individual farming, rather than a hybrid between communal farming and strip farming, but his author believes that the individualistic and isolationist attitudes of the people in this region puts them firmly into the individual farming category.


	3. Economy, taxes and feudal structure

WARNING NOTE FROM ARCHMAESTER NORRIN – ARCHMAESTER OF THE VAULT 201 AC.

This treatise includes a number of unsupported conclusions and makes wild assumptions and should not be taken as valid. Further, it contains a number of heretical and treasonous implications, with allusions to even more treasonous works that have been destroyed. This treatise will be contained within the Archmaester vault, only accessible to Archmaesters. This will not be removed from the vault for any purpose and may not be discussed outside the vault. Violations of these rules will be punished harshly by order of the Council. This treatise is kept to be a teaching tool, so that Archmaesters may recognize incorrect lines of thought and the dangers associated with them.

_ Westerosi Economics: The Money of the People _

_ Written by: **[Stricken from record]** in 200 AC _

Many of my fellow Maesters have done studies on the flow of money and how it interacts in the Seven Kingdoms. Some have even done studies on Essosi economics. There is a wide variety of information available to the aspiring Maester, but I personally have found it to be lacking. Most of the treatises are simply the same as their predecessors, but with a few words changed. They quibble over minor things and definitions, but never once reassess their thoughts. This treatise is to open up the discussion on economics and to help gain a fuller understanding.

To start, I wish to restate the common understanding of economics. Those this view is not inherently wrong, it is wrong in the sense of it’s scope. The common understanding of economics is that it is resource driven, and that wealth is and always will be tied to resources and the land on which it originates.

The first point I wish to make is that economics typically refers to coinage. That right there, I believe completely disproves that economics is tied to resources. I concede, copper, silver and gold _are_ resources, but they are a currency and so they are beyond that. There is much more to be said on the topic of coinage, but I will leave that to the excellent works of **[Redacted by order of the Council. No references are allowed to outside works to reduce treasonous lines of thought]**.

However, resources themselves do drive an economy. We can see this quite easily as a farmer will sell his grain and may purchase wool from another. This exchange of resources makes up a majority of the economy, especially for the smallfolk. Where I differ from most, is that this resource economy is not an actual majority of the economy based on total coinage exchanged. When others refer to resources, the typically point to things like gold, grain and wool. However, they also implicitly recognize things like wine, silk and glass as resources as well.

I believe that these ‘resources’ are not and should not be recognized as resources. They should instead be called products, because of the work done to them. A grape would be a resource, but wine is a multitude of grapes that are further processed into a new product. This creates an added value for these products and are sold at a much higher price. This is what I believe drives an economy. Of course, without exchanges of grain and wool the Westerosi economy would collapse, but these ‘products’ are what drive the economy to truly flourish. Look at how the Arbor’s wealth compared to the Vale’s.

This concept of value-added products, leads me to my next point. These products are made by people, putting in further work and time. Basic resources are also created through work and time by the people, and the more work and time is required the more the price it is to buy. This I believe leads me to the ultimate point of this treatise. People are what truly brings about the economy.

The more work the people do, the more money there is. The more skilled a people are, the more wealth they have. Myrish glassmakers are fabulously wealthy because they provide an unrivalled service and product, that goes beyond their competition. If they only sold the sand that the glass is made of, they would only earn a small portion of what they make now. This is value-added.

So, by extension I believe that the wealth of a people, or their economy, can be further maximized by their organization. The slavers of Slaver’s Bay are quite wealthy, and they do so by organizing their people so that most become slaves and hold no wealth themselves. Besides being an abomination and against the Faith, this type of organization only works for the most basic of tasks.

The Free Cities, while using slaves, have a slightly different organizational method. Using councils, they organize their people to create wealth. They use no concepts of honor, just of wealth and power. This has I believe allowed them to create massive cities and wealth for themselves. Slaves are used for the most basic of tasks, while freemen are used for the complex parts of tasks that add the most value to a product.

Braavos, by contrast, is run by mercantile interests and holds no slaves. However, they are amongst the wealthiest of all cities and their Iron Bank is the largest bank in the World. For more information, see the works of **[Redacted by order of the Council. No references are allowed to outside works to reduce treasonous lines of thought]** , though I personally find some of the assumptions about the applicability of a Westerosi bank to be flawed.

As we can see, the structure of their people allows them to utilize their resources and products in different ways, creating different levels of wealth. We can see that even on a resource to resource comparison, that the wealth generated for a people varies between these organizations. With Essos having so much conflict and political change, it has brought about such a wide variety of different organizations which can give us Maesters an opportunity to theorize about this topic.

By contrast, Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms have been relatively stable with little major political changes. Before Aegon’s Conquest and the rise of the Targaryen dynasty, the political landscape has stayed the same for the most part for thousands of years and with it the levels of wealth have remained stable as well. It is important to remember, that I refer not to a specific person’s wealth (as this does indeed fluctuate), but towards a people’s entire economy.

Before Aegon’s Conquest, the people’s organization for the Andal society was as follows: Kings were the ultimate authority, followed by the Lords of the land who answered to the King, followed by minor lords sworn to other Lords, followed by landed knights, followed by smallfolk. The smallfolk were comprised of two categories, merchants and peasants. Merchants were allowed to move about the land, and build wealth for themselves, but were forbidden to own land. Peasants on the other hand were tied to the land, and owned very little. Slavery was forbidden by the Faith, and so many Lords got around this by allowing the peasants the ability learn different jobs (blacksmith, farmer, shepherd, general labourer) and they were free to do so. In reality, this ‘right’ was not chosen and not well known. Some peasants were granted an informal ‘freemen’ status, in which for exemplary service they were granted the right to rent land from the lord. This allowed them freedom of movement and they were able to keep a higher portion of their crop. Money in this system typically flowed upwards, and never downwards.

The North at this time was slightly different, as they were of the First Men not Andals, though some Andal practices were adopted from the First Men over the ages. The North had a King, then Lords, then minor lords, then Masters, then smallfolk. In this organization, the Masters were the equivalent of landed knights, but they could have just as much power as a major Lord or a minor lord. These Masters had a few less rights, but that is beyond the scope of this treatise. Smallfolk in the First Men organizational model, were not tied to the land and much freer. However, they had no special class of merchants and therefore had less wealth than other organizational models.

There are other models, like the Ironborn and Rhoynar and Dornish, but it not included in this treatise.

By looking through history, we can see that these types of systems of the Andals and First Men led to a certain level of wealth. Many can decry this as folly, since everyone knows that the North just has fewer resources than everywhere else and is thus poorer. I caution readers from accepting common knowledge, especially knowledge that has no bearing on reality. The major differences between the Andal and First Men models was the lack of the merchant class. The merchants helped exchange goods for coin and therefore spread coin amongst the kingdoms and helped to convert the economic system from barter to coinage. This did not occur in the North, and they are the poorer for it, even today.

After Aegon’s Conquest, he released the Andal smallfolk from being tied to the land. There was a myriad of political reasons for this and King Aegon certainly did not intend for it to become widespread, but it got away from him. See the work of **[Redacted by order of the Council. No references are allowed to outside works to reduce treasonous lines of thought]** for further political insights into this decision. This further stimulated the economy. The North, not being affected by this proclamation, did not see any changes.

That merchants are beneficial to the economy and that people in general drive an economy can be seen in the Kingsroad. After the Kingsroad was built, it saw a huge upswing in merchant traffic and the flow of goods (also helped by the lack of inter-kingdom conflict). However, since there are so few Northerner merchants the North was left further behind.  Once again, people are driving the economy, not just solely resources. It is interesting to note, that most Northerners are proud of their self-reliance in that they don’t need to trade for goods to survive, but they conveniently ignore that almost all products and luxury goods are imported.

Since Aegon’s Conquest, there has been a slight shift in the economic power of the people, with an increase in wealth amongst the merchants and smallfolk. There has also been changes in the way that taxes are collected, which will be touched on later.

To summarize, since Aegon’s Conquest Westeros has seen a period of huge economic growth for reasons such as, less conflict, increased merchants, increased travel, increased smallfolk power, and an increase in people in general.

This I believe sets the stage in my argument. With these adjustments, we have seen an increase in economic activity and wealth in Westeros. I believe this means we can go further and continue to see economic gains.

I will admit, that I also have arguments in order for the adjustment of taxes, but this relies much more heavily on supposition and guesswork than fact. Currently, taxes in the Seven Kingdoms is as follows:

  * Royal taxes on Lords and Lord Paramounts. This amount is typically 10% (changes dependent on things like war) of all moveable goods. This is paid in coin.
  * Lord/Landed Knight/Masterly taxes on smallfolk. This amount varies from region to region and depending on general increases due to things like war, but it is typically anywhere from 10% - 20% on moveable goods. This is paid in coin or more commonly in goods.
  * Custom taxes and tolls. This is an amount charged by ports to merchants and is paid to the Lord that holds that port. There is also a toll charged for merchants for the use of the Kingsroad. This pays for the upkeep of the road and increases the wealth of the Royal family.
  * Tariffs on certain goods for export and import. Things like fine wine have a tariff on them no matter where they are sold.
  * Service taxes. For things like the use of a mill a Lord may collect a 10% tax on the grain grinded.
  * Land taxes. A lord will pay taxes to their Liege Lord for the owning of their land. This fluctuates wildy, not only from region to region, but from Lord to Lord. For example, Lord Manderly would pay Lord Stark a tax based on the amount of land that Lord Manderly owns.
  * Tithes to the Faith. A tax to the Faith is not mandatory but is certainly encouraged. There is no set amount.



This new order of taxes reflects the Royal family’s acknowledgement of the importance of merchants as they specifically tax merchants in order to receive more taxes. They acknowledge that the Kingsroad is of a huge benefit to the realm, and tax it as such.

I believe it to be a failure of the Citadel, to have to acknowledged this sooner. This needs to be recognized and discussed so that we as a people can move forward.

For example, what would happen if all internal tariffs were removed? Would that not increase trade and consumption leading to more wealth? Would lowering taxes on smallfolk not allow them to retain more coin allowing them to purchase more goods, thus further driving the economy?

What type of organizations would allow for further economic growth? Instead of a royal family being the sole authority, would a council similar to Braavos being an additional voice help? Or would the additional layer of ruler’s harm growth? Would the abolishment of Lords, but the strengthening of the Royal power help?

In conclusion, I believe that the definition of economics needs to take into account people, and that resources needs to be split into raw resources and value-added products. Further, economic activity is affected by the organization of a people and can be maximized for growth and that the current system is much more growth inclined than before Aegon’s Conquest. Or it would be if there was a decrease in taxes to reflect the more peaceful times of the Targaryen dynasty. Changes and discussions need to be held for Westeros to begin to grow. I hope this treatise is the start of that process.


	4. Assumptions

These are some basic assumptions I have made when writing the story. I will update this post as needed, but I will make a new post to alert everyone to any changes or additions.

  * The horse collar was already invented.
  * Certain plants and animals have adapted to the harsh conditions of Planetos and are not necessarily the same as their Earth equivalents. This might result in different behaviors or habits. I will specify these differences in the story if need be, and I might give greater detail in the Additional Information section.
  * That there are many rivers on Planetos that are not on major maps, just like on Earth.
  * Seasons: The seasons on Planetos are varied and longer than Earth. Though the seasons are typically the same length, Winter and Summer will always be longer and each can vary wildly. So you might have 4 months of spring, 2 years of summer, 4 months of fall, followed by 2 years of winter. Just like on Earth, temperatures vary throughout the year somewhat, like one day in Winter might drop 10 degrees, then rise back up. Or maybe a week of warmer weather. However, winter and summer time lengths might fluctuate. Winter might be longer in one cycle, summer the next. The difference might be small or large, but in the grand scheme of things (talking on the scale of planetary history) they equal out. The Neck acts as a major barrier for the weather. Above the neck winters are much more severe than below (at least on Westeros). Below the Neck, the farther south you go the warmer it gets. The Reach can produce reduced amounts of food in mild winters, and none in the coldest.
  * **Added for Chapter 6:** Average yield of a northern farmer per acre for wheat is 7 to 8 bushels. There is 60 pounds to a bushel, which is or 4.29 stones per bushel. The average farm in the area is 2-3 acres per section. Meaning some farmers will use the 3 crop rotation system of one field fallow, one ‘winter’ crop and one ‘summer’ crop.




	5. Alcohol

_ Alcohol: The Nectar of the People _

_ Written by: Maester Tommen in 182 AC _

Alcohol: A drink beloved and cursed by many. Alcohol has been a constant in man’s life since before written history, even oral history contains no mention of a time before it. These tales instead talk of how pervasive alcohol is in our lives, and the lives of our ancestors. Be it First Men or Andals, Dothraki or Valyrian, alcohol is present in all of man’s lives. Some disdain it and avoid it, some think nothing of it (their thoughts too basic to understand the higher complexities of the world), and some heathens even worship it as a form of their false god. Regardless, people everywhere have taken to alcohol and although different cultures have differing forms of it, all do. In this, we can see that alcohol is truly the nectar of the people; it facilitates cultural exchange.

Men have long traded alcohol, even before coins were used, as a status symbol. They traded it for wealth, in whatever form it took in their culture, and would even trade for food. This treatise will explore the differing kinds of alcohol present in Westeros, and their effects on culture.

To start, I will work from the north of the continent and make my way to the south and explain the differences in alcohol consumption.

Beyond the wall is a harsh place, filled with many savages. Unlike our ancestors, these men have been content to live in squalor, but that is a topic beyond the scope of this treatise. These men have little in the way of established agriculture, which means that their alcohol is also severely limited. They are the only culture in Westeros that consumes fermented milk, which they call kumis. Fermented milk is also consumed by a few poorer cultures in Essos, like the Dothraki, but there is no evidence of culture exchange being the reason for this similarity. This fermented milk is often made from goat, unlike the Dothraki’s horse milk, as it is one of the few domesticated animals they have in abundance.

They also to a smaller degree have cider and mead, but the harsh conditions of the land lead to this being a rarity. According the Black brothers, there is a semi-settled group of Wildings, far the north that live in a somewhat lush valley, that produce most of these products. They do conduct trade with other Wildings for it, but little is known about that. Other Wildings, those closer to the Wall, also tend to raid below the wall for a variety of things, but alcohol does tend to be a favored target. With little to no alcohol, their culture rarely changes and does not adapt to new ideas. There is no exchange of information, the Wildings simply despise those south of the Wall and have no wish to trade.

The North as a region is more distinct, as they – like the Andal population – have a developed agriculture that is capable of sustaining more complex products. They produce some wine, in their more fertile lands, but tend to dedicate most of their farming lands to food production. Wine itself has no defined beginnings. There is evidence that the First Men had wine production in the area that would no be called the Reach, though not as big or well-developed as today. Similarly, there are no reliable records in Essos that detail the origins of wine. Regardless, most of the wine in the North is transported from the Reach and Arbor to White Harbor, where it is then distributed throughout the North – mainly to Lordly holdings. The North is not a prosperous land, and the distribution of wine shows this. Wine, even cheap wine, is not commonly drank amongst the smallfolk and mostly consumed by Lords and Masters. This is a source of cultural exchange for the North, though it mainly affects their nobility. This can easily be seen by the fact that the North (First Men) have adapted the Andal’s governing system (even before Aegon’s Conquest).

The North also produces cider and mead and beer, in much greater quantities than wine, and this is the product of choice amongst the smallfolk. Cider and mead is produced in most communities, even the poorer ones, though mostly for personal or communal consumption. There is little trade and movement of alcohol in the North, or than the expensive products for consumption by the Lords and Masters. It is worth noting that White Harbor does import small amounts of other alcoholic products, like rum and hippocras, but usually in very small amounts. Beer is also produced by the North but mostly by larger communities. While cider and mead are the most common product in the North, beer is preferred by most, but it’s cost, and lack of trade movement leads to it being mostly unavailable. The North produces three main beers: black beer, autumn beer, and stout beer. These beers are recognized on a larger scale, and are actually exported from the North, though mostly to King’s Landing, Braavos, and Port of Ibben.

The rest of Westeros, excluding Dorne, is fairly similar in their alcoholic beverages due to their shared Andal heritage. The rest of Westeros has a much richer variety (both in types and quality) than found in the North. Beer is the drink of choice, with wine being the second most favored – though the nobility tends to favor wine over beer. Typically, a region is known for producing a certain type of beverage and exporting it to other locations – for example, the Arbor and their high-quality wines. There is much more movement of these products in these parts of Westeros, which is a result of the closer relations and culture. The land is also, of such a high quality, that these people can grow enough agricultural products that they can start to trade. With this trade we can see ideas and cultural traits being shared.

It is an unpopular opinion, especially amongst non-Maesters, but there is little difference between a Westerlander and a Reacher. There may be cultural drift amongst the isolated communities, but not much. This is due to trade and travel, which helps to keep any new trends amongst the population the same. A large part of this is due to alcohol. Alcohol is a staple in taverns and winesinks, which is where many travelers stay, and have thus become centers of cultural exchange or updates as it were. Different types of alcohol can facilitate conversation and trade. For example, a new style of hippocras will bring together wealthy merchants and talk will flow between them. Or another wagon load of poor wine brought to King’s Landing will bring news from other poor in a different part of Westeros. The alcohol binds us together.

The final region in Westeros, Dorne, is slightly unique. They are more isolated than other regions, similar to the North, but unlike the North this is due to hostility and their political situation. Their main form of alcohol is Dornish red wine, which is a very sour wine, and Stongwine, which is a very dark and sweet wine. Their quality and price highly vary, but wine is the preferred drink in the region – it is even preferred over beer. The Dornish export their wine, which helps to facilitate cultural exchange, but they import very little in the way of other alcoholic drinks. The Dornish nobility certainly drink other types of alcohol, but the people rarely do. This further limits cultural exchange in Dorne, and this can be highlighted by their cultural isolation.


	6. List of inventions that have been introduced

**A/N:** List as of the end of Act 1. Let me know if I forgot to add anything!

Guitar

Threshing machine

Reaping machine

Seed drill

HUGE list of recipes

Tons of songs

Cowboy hat

Flannel jacket

Variety of color pigments

Leaf spring for wagons

Vodka

Brandy

Alcohol still

Rubbing alcohol

Ushanka

Mink oil

Cast iron stove

Lye soap

Four crop rotation system

New animal husbandry techniques

Soil management techniques

Spinning wheel for fibers (courtesy of Nyra)

Sauna

Indoor plumbing

Septic tank

Toilet

Windmill

Water tower

Water powered sawmill

Pasteurized milk

Cement

Concrete

Bricks

New breeds of dogs (in-progress) (courtesy of Zane)

Reintroduction of garum paste (courtesy of Arlan)

Spread of bok choi

Spread of different types of wheat

Concept of nutrition

Concept of germs

Cross country skis

Ice skates

Football

Soccer

Maple sugar

Bowie knife

Molotov cocktail

Rocking chairs

Bagpipes


	7. Michael’s Territory Information

**A/N: Do not read before completing Act 1 of the main story!**

**Size:** Michael’s area encompasses about 50,000 square miles, which is about equivalent to Alabama or Arkansas or just a bit smaller than Michael’s native Iowa. Going by country, this is close to Greece, twice the size of Ireland or twice the size of Lithuania. This is a rough calculation, using the size of the Wall as a measurement, and assumes that the official map of Westeros is to scale.

**People:** In Michael’s territory, there is currently 35,000 people, spread out among his land, but mostly concentrated on the coast and along other Lord’s territories.

**Resources and landscape:** The land has a large mixture of different geological zones. The northern coastal (NC) region is forested and includes a large variety of different trees (though it has no Ironwood). The northern interior (NI) has plenty of mountains and lakes (including the Twin Lakes) and has a variety of different resources available. Some are known to Michael and the Starks from historical data, and some are yet to be discovered. There are several smaller coal and iron mines that are already noted but were never seriously excavated for economical reasons. The southern coastal (SC) region is incredibly rocky, but fairly flat feature wise. Most trees were long ago cut down, and most of the land is only good for grazing. There is very good fishing along the coast. The southern interior (SI) is forested in its northern portion (similar to the NC region) but opens up to plains (with plenty of rivers and streams) as it approaches the Twin Lakes River. There is plenty of rivers in this area as runoff from the mountains.

 


	8. Detailed Iowa Map

Alright everyone, here is a handdrawn map of the Iowa region. I've done my best to try and make a realistic map, using both Vancouver and Bavaria as a guideline. It is also important to note that the size of the lakes and rivers are fairly variable, depending on winter. I didn't bother to include the streams on the map. Most of these rivers are large enough, in theory to navigate with a longship, but not so much with a larger carrack or cog. The geography might defeat that though, since a lot of the water to the eastern portion goes through mountains, different elevations would mean that boating straight through might not be available.

I welcome anyone with anymore information to chime in!

 


	9. House Ragnar

**House Sigil:**

 

**House Words:** Who Dares, Wins

**Unofficial Words:** Reap What You Sow

**Castle Name:** Sunset's Rest


	10. Detailed Maps (final) Part 1

**Iowa Map<https://imgur.com/opQvPEn>**

**Woodshire Map<https://imgur.com/OTpqHIm>**

 

The purple X's indicate larger villages that Michael plans to expand.  
The yellow borders indicate Michael's internal divisions for land. These don't represent anything to anyone else, and are just a tool for Michael to plan and administrate. (i.e. Lord Stark won't ask about Woodshire, as he won't know of it).  
The orange borders indicate the limits of Michael's lands as they border onto another Lord or Master's land.


	11. House Armstrong

**House Sigil:**

****

**House Words:** Witness


	12. House Voktergård

**House Sigil:**

****

**House Words:** Protect and Serve


End file.
